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Monday, December 7, 2009

Tea Time for Health

High Time for Tea ~ Discover the Healing Properties of Taking Tea

The health research is enough to make you forego the latte for strong brewed tea instead. Name your color -- black, white, green, even red -- teas are packed with disease-preventing antioxidants (more than some fruits and vegetables) and contain vitamins, minerals, and at least half the caffeine of coffee.
Fortified with free radical-fighting polyphenols, tea drinkers have a reduced risk of many different cancers, in particular stomach, colorectal, and even skin cancer. Tea drinkers also have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and high cholesterol. Containing anti-inflammatory and arthritis-preventing properties, tea also helps stimulate the immune system and protect the liver against toxins.
But you have to drink up. Most research points to five or so cups of brewed tea each day to reap the health benefits. Decaf tea loses some but not much of its health punch, due to extra processing.
All traditional tea -- white, green, oolong, and black -- is derived from the leaves of an evergreen tree called the Camellia sinensis, and all contain the health-promoting polyphenols. White tea is made from young tea leaves, dried in the sun without fermentation or processing. Green tea is dried with hot air after picking, so it retains its color but is not fermented. Oolong tea, sometimes referred to as "brown" tea, is fermented but not processed to the point of black tea. Black tea, on the other hand, is fully fermented, which accounts for the color of the leaves and its stronger flavor.
Rooibos, or red tea, is naturally caffeine-free and from the Aspalathus linearis, a shrub that grows only at high altitude near Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Herbal teas are made from a variety of plants, roots, bark, seeds, and flowers and are technically herbal infusions rather than tea. Though they don't contain the same antioxidants and haven't received the same research-based accolades as traditional tea, the herbs in these infusions have certain healing properties that have been used for centuries to treat many common health issues.


This article is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to diagnose and/or treat any conditions. Please check with your physician to make sure it’s all right to use new products and/or change your regimen.
Newsletter article courtesy of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals

7 comments:

Tamsyn said...

I prefer coffee over tea but drink both. In Japan, green tea is a given and there are so many different kinds of teas you can choose from. I attend a monthly tea ceremony "Sa-Do" class where the regular members would make the tea and the guests (your truly included) drink the tea with tea cakes. Delicious! Glad to know someone else like tea too!
Tamsyn

Unknown said...

a monthly tea ceremony sounds like fun!
thanks for stopping by today!
=)

Lynn Crain said...

I love tea! My husband brews at least a pot and evening and we're into trying different kinds.

Now that doesn't mean I don't like coffee as well, I do and many times I get it because of convenience. But tea has a flavor unlike anything else.

Thanks for the great article.

Lynn

susan said...

I drink tea for any thing that is wrong with me..a headache, back pain, nerves, even if I get to feeling a bit "down" teas perks me up. I depend on tea more than medicine. susan L.

Unknown said...

you're welcome lynn! thanks for stopping by!
=)

Unknown said...

tea is great that way, isn't it Susan?
thanks for stopping in today!
=)

booklover0226 said...

I drink green tea every day. I can feel a difference if I miss a day...

Thanks,
Tracey D

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